High Eye
High Eye B.V. is a Dutch unmanned aviation company that designs and manufactures long-range VTOL UAV helicopter systems (the Airboxer) for defense, coast guard, maritime ISR, research, and infrastructure inspection customers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Revenue is generated through hardware sales, training, payload integration, and maintenance services via direct sales and a regional channel partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersDordrecht, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What High Eye does
High Eye B.V. is a Dutch privately held unmanned aviation company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Dordrecht, Netherlands. The company designs, manufactures, and sells long-range VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) unmanned helicopter systems, with its flagship product being the Airboxer (HEF 32). The Airboxer is a fuel-powered, 32 kg MTOW unmanned helicopter featuring an air-cooled boxer engine with 8.85L fuel capacity delivering 3-4 hours of endurance, a 7 kg payload capacity, 50 km BVLOS range via an encrypted MIMO self-healing mesh data-link, IP-67 all-weather protection, MIL-STD-461F-RS103 EMI shielding, and maritime-specific design elements including automatic ship take-off and landing, gyro-stabilized antennas, and corrosion-resistant titanium and aluminum construction.
High Eye generates revenue through a hybrid model combining hardware sales of the Airboxer system (helicopter, ground control station, short-range and long-range antennas), professional services including two-week pilot and operator training programs, payload integration for third-party sensors (EO&IR, LiDAR, gas detectors, magnetometers), and ongoing maintenance and support contracts. Its customer base spans defence ministries and navies (Dutch MoD, Dutch Navy), coast guards, research institutions (Aalborg University, Arctic UAV), and commercial inspection and security operators, with go-to-market executed through a combination of direct enterprise field sales targeting international tenders, a regional channel partner network across six countries (Japan, UK, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, Thailand), and participation in major defence and UAV trade shows (FEINDEF, DSEI, MSPO, NIDV, NATO REPMUS, DALO).
The company was pivoted to professional unmanned aviation in 2013 by current CEO and majority shareholder Joost de Ruiter, with the Airboxer released to market in 2018 after five years of development. Recent milestones include the February 2024 Dutch MoD international tender win, the May 2024 Dutch Navy maritime partnership, participation in the Dutch Navy's SDIR innovation programme, and the December 2025 achievement of LUC SAIL II certification from the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate enabling self-declared BVLOS operations across Europe. The Airboxer is ITAR-free with global export permits to Australia, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the USA.
High Eye firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- High Eye
- Legal name
- High Eye B.V.
- Website
- https://higheye.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- High Eye B.V. is a Dutch unmanned aviation company that designs and manufactures long-range VTOL UAV helicopter systems (the Airboxer) for defense, coast guard, maritime ISR, research, and infrastructure inspection customers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Revenue is generated through hardware sales, training, payload integration, and maintenance services via direct sales and a regional channel partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
High Eye industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Military VTOL UAV Systems
- NAICS
- Aircraft Manufacturing (336411)
- SIC
- Aircraft (3721), Aircraft & Parts (3720)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure (IMABAIAL)
Keywords
Where High Eye is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dordrecht
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
High Eye business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- UAV System Sales: Sale of complete Airboxer VTOL UAV systems including helicopter, ground control station, radio antennas, operations manuals. Systems delivered as comprehensive packages with varying configurations based on customer payload and mission requirements.
- Training Services: Two-week pilot and operator training courses including CBT (Computer Based Training), ground school, simulator training, and flight training. Training conducted at High Eye's Netherlands location. Additional advanced operations and maintenance training available.
- Maintenance and Support: 50-hour/annual inspection intervals, 1000-hour TBO for rotor systems/gearboxes, 200-hour engine replacement intervals. Full maintenance and overhaul services, spare parts, and operator facility training for self-maintenance.
- Payload Integration: Custom payload integration services for customer-selected sensors including EO&IR gimbals, RF spectrum analyzers, LiDAR, gas detectors, magnetometers, and geographic survey sensors up to 7 kg.
- Simulator Systems: Sale of flight simulators for additional crew training, recurrency training, and mission preparation. Accurate simulation of flight operations including 3D flight profiles and flight planning software.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
High Eye product offering
Product offeringCore offering
High Eye designs, manufactures, and sells the Airboxer (HEF 32), a fuel-powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned helicopter system for defense, maritime, ISR, inspection, and research missions. The system is delivered as a complete package with Ground Control Station, Short-Range and Long-Range tracking antennas, operations manuals, and is supported by training, payload integration, simulator, and maintenance services.
Product overview
High Eye offers the Airboxer (HEF 32) as its primary unmanned helicopter system, complemented by ground equipment including the Ground Control Station, Short-Range Antenna, and Long-Range Antenna systems for communication and control. Support services encompass documentation, training programs (CBT, simulator, flight training), and maintenance services. The product portfolio is designed for military and commercial ISR applications requiring long endurance, all-weather capability, and BVLOS operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Airboxer: Long-range unmanned VTOL helicopter system designed for maritime, ISR, research and inspection missions. Features include 3-4 hours endurance, 7 kg payload capacity, BVLOS capability up to 50 km, and all-weather IP-67 rating.
Products and services
- Airboxer (HEF 32) Unmanned Helicopter System Fuel-powered VTOL unmanned helicopter system with 3-4 hours endurance, 7 kg payload, 50 km BVLOS range, IP-67 rating, and MIL-STD-461F EMI shielding, sold to defense ministries, navies, coast guards, research institutions and inspection operators for maritime, ISR, research, and inspection missions.
- Ground Control Station (GCS) Rugged, sealed-case ground control station with two large screens for flight control, mission planning and sensor monitoring, including a portable carrier for take-off and landing operations.
- Short-Range Antenna (SRA) Compact, self-aligning, dual-polarity, all-weather, low-gain tracking antenna system for operations within a 15 km radius.
- Long-Range Antenna (LRA) Self-aligning, dual-polarity, all-weather, high-gain tracking antenna system with IMU stabilization for ship-based operations, delivering high throughput up to 50 km.
- Airboxer Support Services Lifecycle support including pilot and operator training (CBT, ground school, simulator, flight training), documentation, simulator systems, and maintenance services with 50-hour/annual inspections and 1000-hour TBO for rotor and gearbox systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- 180+ km range on single fuel tank at optimal speed of 30 knots
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use High Eye
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
High Eye technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
High Eye partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Dutch Ministry of DefencecoreInternational tender win for Airboxer VTOL UAV system. Comprehensive program spanning over two years encompassing integration, ground control system, training modules, maintenance packages, operational training, and EO/IR camera payloads. First complete system delivered in 2024.
- Royal Netherlands Navy (Dutch Navy)coreAirboxer selected for maritime operations after extensive study of maritime VTOL UAV systems. High Eye aims to become long-term partner with Dutch Navy, integrating various payloads and embedding them in naval operations.
- Royal Netherlands Navy (SDIR Programme)coreParticipation in Strategic Defence Innovation Research (SDIR) programme with Royal Netherlands Navy to jointly develop systems within Navy's operational concepts. Enables long-term partnership approach vs transactional procurement.
- Terra Drone (Japan)minorRegional distribution partner for Japan market. Listed on High Eye website as trusted client and partner.
- Texo Drone Survey and Inspection (UK)minorRegional distribution partner for United Kingdom market. Specializes in offshore asset inspection and survey services using Airboxer.
- TOP Engineering Group UAV (Thailand)minorRegional distribution partner for Thailand and Southeast Asia. Focuses on maritime ISR missions for navy and coast guards.
- Oculus Airborne Sensing (Mexico)minorRegional partner for Mexico and Latin America. Provides counter-crime and border security operations with local after-sales offices.
- Arctic UAV (Canada)minorRegional partner for Canada. Specializes in Arctic wildlife monitoring and environmental research operations.
- Aalborg University (Denmark)minorRegional partner and research collaborator in Denmark. Drone Research Lab conducts BVLOS research projects with Airboxer.
- Malta Civil Aviation DirectoratecoreGranted LUC SAIL II certification enabling High Eye to self-declare and execute complex BVLOS missions across Europe within EASA framework.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
High Eye competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schiebel: Schiebel's Camcopter S-100 is the most directly comparable product to High Eye's Airboxer: a long-endurance VTOL helicopter drone sold to defence, coast guard and inspection customers worldwide for maritime ISR. Same product category, same procurement pathway.
- Leonardo: Leonardo offers the SW-4 Solo / HERO unmanned rotorcraft system, a tactical VTOL UAS sold into military and homeland security markets in Europe and the Middle East. Competes head-to-head with High Eye in medium-ISR VTOL tenders involving NATO allies.
- Aerovel: Aerovel's Flexrotor is a small long-endurance VTOL UAV aimed at maritime/ISR missions and is one of the closest US analogues to the Airboxer in size, endurance and use case. Direct competitor in long-range, ship-/shore-launched ISR.
- UAVOS: UAVOS designs and builds small unmanned helicopters and VTOL aircraft, including payload-capable platforms for inspection and ISR. Comparable in scale, product focus and customer verticals to High Eye.
Broad incumbents
- Thales: Thales is a major European defence prime that supplies maritime UAV systems (e.g., Fulmar family) and broader naval ISR suites. It is a frequent bidder in the same European defence tenders as High Eye, though with a much broader portfolio and balance sheet.
- Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman's MQ-8 Fire Scout is an established maritime tactical VTOL UAS selected by multiple NATO navies. As a Tier-1 US defence prime it competes for the same procurement budgets as High Eye on larger maritime UAS programs.
- Bell (Textron): Bell's V-247 Vigilant is an unmanned tiltrotor in development aimed at US Marine Corps maritime and expeditionary ISR. Very large balance sheet, broader aviation portfolio, and a future potential competitor in medium-endurance maritime UAS.
- Elbit Systems: Elbit Systems offers a portfolio of tactical UAS (THOR, Magni, Hermes) used by European and Asia-Pacific customers for ISR. Competes with High Eye indirectly via broader UAS bids, particularly in territories where Elbit has established export channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
High Eye social profiles
Digital presenceHigh Eye compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
High Eye financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
High Eye leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
High Eye funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
High Eye M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about High Eye
What does High Eye do?
High Eye designs, manufactures, and sells the Airboxer (HEF 32), a fuel-powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned helicopter system for defense, maritime, ISR, inspection, and research missions. The system is delivered as a complete package with Ground Control Station, Short-Range and Long-Range tracking antennas, operations manuals, and is supported by training, payload integration, simulator, and maintenance services.
Is High Eye a public or private company?
High Eye is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was High Eye founded?
High Eye was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is High Eye based?
High Eye is headquartered in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does High Eye make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. UAV System Sales are the primary driver. The others are training Services, maintenance and Support, payload Integration and simulator Systems.
Who are High Eye's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schiebel, Leonardo, Aerovel and UAVOS. Broad incumbents are Thales, Northrop Grumman, Bell (Textron) and Elbit Systems.
Does High Eye have an API?
No public API is recorded for High Eye.
What industry is High Eye in?
High Eye's product category is Military VTOL UAV Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAC, VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms, with a secondary code of IMABAIAL, UAS Ground Control Stations (GCS) & Remote Operations Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 336411 and its SIC code is 3721.